This invention relates to the cosmetic treatment of hair. More particularly, it relates to a combination hair treatment and a process for beautifying hair, particularly living human hair.
It is a matter of common knowledge and experience that the hair covering of an animal, for example, the coating of hairs on a human head, varies with the individual. This variation can be characterized as ranging from coarse, thick hair down through various degrees of less thick hair ultimately to fine, thin, limp hair. Furthermore, many cosmetic treatments have been proposed to beautify and to correct defects in hair, e.g., to curl straight hair, to thicken fine hair, or to recondition hair which has been damaged by overexposure to sun, dyes, bleaches, and the like or by overprocessed permanents.
It is well known that coarse, thick hair is difficult to mold and style and, once styled, to keep in place. It has been proposed to use creams, oils, alcohols, fats such as lanolin, and styling gels as cosmetic aids to mold thick hair, but none of these are entirely satisfactory because certain of them impart a greasy look to the hair while with others often an additional hair spray coating is needed to retain the styling.
On the other hand, softer textured hair and thin hair also present problems in styling. For example, after treatment with gummy greases and oils or alcohols, softer textured fine hair appears to become thinner and less agreeable to the eye. To illustrate, four hairs may become "glued" into one. This problem is especially acute in so-called baby fine hair where the thin hairs lay very close to the head. In addition, sparse hair in men and women who have lost or begun to lose hair due to age or for other reasons must be styled to take full advantage of the natural hair available and the grooming aids discussed above, which subtract body, are entirely unacceptable.
Hair lacking elasticity also is difficult to style and manage. Hair that has been over-processed by being chemically penetrated for tinting or bleaching and the like, over and over again, usually is damaged and Will no longer take a set. The hair just hangs limp and lifeless. Sets are ineffective because the elasticity has been lost. Many so-called conditioners have been proposed, but few of them elasticize the hair. They function by putting a coating on the hair and give the hair the appearance of being well-set. When you break this coating, the hair immediately returns to its limp and lifeless appearance. Nevertheless, hair treated with such conditioners lacks the desirable "spring" seen in normally elastic hair.
The desire to have hair (human or other animal) retain a particular shape or configuration is one that is widely held. Approaches taken can either involve permanent alteration of the hair or a temporary alteration. The former involves the use of chemical agents to react with the hair in order to achieve the desired effect. This process can be carried out at either room or elevated temperature.
The temporary set to hair is, as the term indicates, a temporary arrangement which can be removed by water or by shampooing. The materials used to provide the set have generally been resins or gums. The setting compositions have generally taken the form of gels, lotions, sprays, and aerosol foams (also referred to as mousses). The compositions are applied most often to hair dampened with water, spread through the hair, and let dry. The set given will vary depending on the materials used.
It has been found that thick, thin, and damaged hair can be beautified in a surprisingly efficient manner by treating the hair with a non-alkaline cosmetic composition according to the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,280 (issued Mar. 21, 1972 to David Roberts). While the compositions of the '280 patent beautify the hair, they do not shorten the time required to achieve the desired look nor do they improve the hold.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hair treatment combination that beautifies the hair, shortens the time required to achieve the desired look, and improves the hold.